LEADERS CATCH PEOPLE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT
Leadership has always been a popular subject in graduate schools, in big companies and in large agencies. Over the years, advice about good leadership has evolved. In the late 1990s, the paragon of leadership was Jack Welch, the CEO of US Steel. He preached a strong form of leadership that emanated from the top down.
However, as the new century dawned, a more inquisitive, empathic and curiosity-based leadership approach took hold. This kind of leadership was promoted by several authors. One of those authors was Ken Blanchard. Blanchard has penned more than 70 books, the most famous being “The One-Minute Manager.”
On October 21 Martha Lawrence published a new biography of Blanchard. The title of the book is “Catch People Doing Things Right.” Why did Lawrence choose that title? During the past several decades, Blanchard, who is now 86 years old, has frequently said that if he could hold onto only one of the leadership lessons he has championed, it would be to catch people doing things right.
Why did Blanchard choose that maxim? In his own words, because “a person who works hard needs positive feedback for his or her efforts. Praise is inherently motivating and only takes a moment – yet it can make all the difference in how the employee feels about their day, their job, their leader and their organization.”
When I was a young leader, I thought part of my responsibility was to correct people when I saw or discovered that they had done something incorrectly, incompletely or too slowly. I thought that made me a good manager.
What I learned was that people resented my frequently catching them doing something wrong. In fact, they resented it so much that they often gossiped about me. They did not share their resentment with me so that I could be given an opportunity to moderate my behavior. Instead, they talked about me behind my back, which only dragged down our office culture.
Sadly, I was not alone in my leadership behavior. Blanchard admits that when he began studying leadership in the 1960s, “very few people saw their manager as a friend or colleague. Bosses were widely regarded as people whose job it was to catch their workers doing things wrong. A leader would evaluate someone’s performance, reprimand them, demand they improve, and disappear until it happened again. When people heard the boss had a meeting scheduled, they knew they must be getting in trouble because that’s the only time the boss would ever show up.”
To Blanchard, this felt like the opposite of a motivational environment, and he wondered what would transpire if things were reversed. What if the leader noticed people doing things right, praised their work and progress, and cheered them on?
Blanchard has emphasized in his books and presentations that great leaders who want to encourage and motivate their people create a positive workplace cycle. He says that:
“1. A great leader catches someone doing something right and praises them.
2. The leader’s praise helps the person feel good about themselves.
3. People who feel good about themselves produce good results.
4. A great leader notices when people produce good results.
5. See #1.
People never tire of being told they’re doing good work. It’s good for morale and engagement, and it leads to confident, empowered employees.”
Blanchard believes that “One-Minute Praisings” are a critical element of catching people doing something right. According to him, an effective one- minute praising reinforces the behaviors that move people closer to their goals. According to Blanchard it only takes one minute, if you follow these six steps of his:
“1. Praise someone as soon as you see or hear about praiseworthy behavior or work. Don’t store up compliments for later; unspoken praise is meaningless.
2. In very clear terms, tell the person what they did right and be specific.
3. Say how good you feel about what they did and how it helps others and/or the organization. Relate their good behavior to the broader picture.
4. Once you’ve given the praising, pause to let the message sink in and giving the person a chance to feel good about what they did.
5. Let the person know you would like to see more of the same behavior.
6. Make it clear you have confidence in them and you support their success.”
Ken Blanchard has been teaching and writing about good leadership for decades. His lessons still resonate. Starting tomorrow, I encourage you to follow his advice and catch your teammates doing something right every day!
If you believe this content would resonate with a friend or colleague, please feel free to forward it along!
-Larry